HONEY by BROE

2nd mentoring day in Tyler’s new apiary. It was a fun-filled day with him and his son as we inspected his colony and caught his Queen to mark her. We also split his booming colony and did some mite controls. Lots of hands-on learning, decision making and knowledge transfer during our visit. Both Tyler and his son are quickly learning the ways of the bees and good beekeeping, and I’m proud to be a part of their journey.

Always a good reminder to be calm and gentle whenever you go into a colony. I opened this colony today and found the Queen perched on top of the frames. You see the circle of bees surrounding her? That’s called her retinue. These bees are constantly around her and tending to her needs. Whenever I’m searching for her on the frames, I’m looking for her retinue. Having her marked also makes it a little easier, too!

Admiring the flower gardens today and it’s visitors.

My personal FB page was hacked. In the off chance that you receive something from me on this account regarding a death or video, PLEASE DO NOT OPEN IT!

Are your hive boxes feeling a little “cramped” right now? With fondant, sugar cakes, pollen patties and treatments, it can sometimes feel like there just isn’t enough space to set down your inner cover and achieve a nice seal. Feeding shims are the best way to give yourself, and the bees, a little extra room. 100% locally handcrafted, our feeding shims are made to fit standard Langstroth boxes and provide an additional 1” space between the box and the inner cover. Need even more space, stack ‘em 2 or 3 high. With a half-lapped joint that is glued and stapled, these shims are durable 💪🏿 and will last many seasons. Need 1 or 10 for your apiary? Just PM for price and/or to place an order.

I had some fun last week doing some custom work for a fellow beekeeper. These are “bee barn” frames that allow for a deep and a medium foundation on one frame. They turned out great as this was my first time making frames!

As always, keep us in mind as your 100% locally crafted beekeeping woodenware supplier.

ps - shout out to Rachel for the referral.

Spring has sprung, and we are ramping up workshop production. Need deep or medium hive bodies? We make them using locally-sourced BC fir. These boxes are sturdy, beautiful and will last many beekeeping seasons. Need some other woodenware? We make that, too. Stands, bottom boards, inner covers and lids - we got you covered. Keep us in mind as your 100% local woodenware provider. DM for pricing and orders.

Last week was a busy one!!! A big order of quilt boxes for Rachel and mentoring with Jim at his apiary (Jim’s Farm), including a new mated queen installation and nuc colony. Big shout out to friend and fellow beekeeper, Darrin B. and Herb for keeping me sharp in the workshop.

Fall is nearing and if you are prepping your colonies for winter, a quilt box is a great tool to manage moisture within the hive.

100% handcrafted in the HONEYbyBROE workshop, our quilt boxes are built for Langstroth hive bodies. Quilt boxes (filled with wood shavings) sit atop the upper hive body and provide great insulation and moisture control.

Wet bees are dead bees! Any moisture that condenses in the hive falls into the quilt box (not on the bees) and is evaporated. Each box has a 1” feeding shim and entrance to allow for fondant and/or pollen patties to be placed underneath.

Quilt boxes are a staple item in my apiary and I’ve had great success overwintering my colonies using them.

Interested? Please PM for pricing.